First, an update on the sommelier scandal that dominated the wine world’s news cycle last week: There is no update. Or rather, there’s no big update. Rumors continue to circulate about who may have been responsible for the cheating and how it may have gone down, but the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) has continued to decline my (and, by the looks of it, every other journalist’s) requests for comment. When we have something concrete to report, we’ll let you know.

We do know that the sommeliers who passed this year’s MS exam and were stripped of their titles have collectively written a letter to the CMS, taking issue with its decision to invalidate their tasting exam. Could their ire lead to a lawsuit? Multiple sources have suggested to me that the answer could be yes.

Fool’s Errand has quickly become one of my favorite new bars in San Francisco, and I explain why in this week’s Drink Up column. Equal parts wine and beer bar, it’s got an eclectic, adventurous — but still diplomatic — drink list with criminally low mark-ups. Owner John Dampeer has staked an especially strong claim on Spanish wines, including experimental producers like Envinate and Oriol Artigas, and is always offering at least a couple of delicious sour beers from Berkeley’s lauded Rare Barrel. The next time you can’t get into Nopa, come across the street and order a bottle here instead.

If you, unlike those winemakers, prefer “good” beer, get thee to Windsor, where Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo have opened the doors of their long-awaited, $50 million new Russian River Brewing location. The makers of Pliny the Younger were expecting a crowd — but not a 1,400-person crowd — on opening day. (P.S.: Check out my profile of Russian River Brewing back when this Windsor facility was still a distant dream.)

Wine critic Esther Mobley joined The Chronicle in 2015 to cover California wine, beer and spirits. Previously she was an assistant editor at Wine Spectator magazine in New York, and has worked harvests at wineries in Napa Valley and Argentina. She studied English literature at Smith College.